


Silent Woods

by Cantatrice18



Category: Secret of Moonacre (2008)
Genre: Alternate Ending, F/M, Tragedy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-29
Updated: 2012-09-29
Packaged: 2017-11-15 06:25:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/524112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cantatrice18/pseuds/Cantatrice18
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Benjamin's ride through the forest in search of Loveday leads him to forgive her for her deception, but as the night wears on it becomes less and less likely that he will find her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Silent Woods

He heard her soft sob as he smashed the flowers, but his anger left no room for him to care. She ran, the sound of her footsteps fading down the stone hallway, as he stared blankly out the window. How could she have deceived him like that? Who had put her up to such a thing? Her father was a devious, oily man; doubtless it was he who had set his daughter out as bait, hoping to reel in a love-struck Merryweather. Disgusting. 

He did not realize how long he'd been standing there, but the next thing he knew the sky had turned the deep blood red of sunset. He heard the sound of a throat being cleared, and turned to find Marmaduke standing awkwardly by the door. “My lord…your dinner?”

Benjamin sighed. “Ah, yes. Please bring it to my study. And the lady,” he said the word through gritted teeth, ”she will dine separately, in her room.”

“The lady?” Marmaduke asked, frowning.

Benjamin felt his frustration returning. Couldn’t the man work out what to do on his own, without being told every last little thing? “Yes, the lady – she’s been staying here for weeks, surely you remember her.”

“But she’s gone,” Marmaduke said, “She left hours ago.”

Benjamin felt a pang of trepidation. He’d thought she’d run off to her room to cry and pout as women always did, he’d never thought she’d really leave the manor. “What direction did she ride in?”

Marmaduke shook his head. “Not ride. She was on foot. I saw her from the upstairs window, I knew it was her by the wedding dress.”

Benjamin clenched his fists. “Get me my horse, now. Dinner can wait.” He would bring her back, at least for the night, and then return her to her father’s house. The thought of Coeur De Noir’s face contorted with laughter made him burn inside, and his hatred for the girl increased. Stupid chit, running off without even a horse in that fancy dress of hers. Now he had to hunt her down like an animal in the forest. He strode down the stairs, taking the hat and coat that Marmaduke offered, and mounted the horse the groom brought him. Spurring the horse into a canter, he ducked his head as they slipped under the edge of the portcullis and headed for the forest.

She’d left no trail that he could see. He followed the path towards the De Noir castle, thinking she’d have headed back to her family, but after half an hour he gave up and tried another tack. A path east took him towards a village where she might have been tempted to stay for the night. He stopped at an inn to get water for his horse and asked the locals, but no one had seen any sign of her. He doubted they’d have forgotten, not with the way Loveday was dressed. Once he was sure the horse had rested a bit, he mounted once more and retraced his steps to the start of his journey. He stopped for a minute at the first fork in the path, thinking hard. The road to the left was less traveled, and led nowhere in particular. He could not deduce why she might have taken it, but then, she didn’t know the forest as well as he did. Turning, he rode down the path at a trot. By now it was getting quite dark, and the wind had picked up slightly so that the air held an unpleasant chill. He felt a twinge of worry despite himself; she had none of the protection his coat afforded him, and without a lantern it would be easy for her to get lost. That said, if she’d found some sort of shelter from the elements it would be harder for him to find her. Onwards he rode, with no sign of her, until he reached the county line. There he stopped again. It was impossible for her to have gotten so far, not without a horse. Gritting his teeth, he rode back once more and began calling her name. Over and over he yelled for her, but was met with silence on every side. The animals, frightened away by his voice, made no sound and left the forest hushed and eerie. The moon had risen high, and far in the distance he heard the churchbells ring the midnight hour. He was well and truly worried by now. Even after her deception he still cared for her, though he was trying desperately to quell the feelings. He was struck for the first time by the possibility that she might have been telling the truth. Perhaps she had loved him after all, without her family’s prompting. He had no doubt the De Noirs would have disowned her if they’d found out she’d been seeing him without permission. And in that case, she’d have nowhere to turn now. She couldn’t run to her family any longer, which meant that she was still somewhere in the darkening woods. He spurred the horse onwards, knowing it was tired but not caring. Very faintly he heard the quavering howl of a wolf, and the sound sent shivers down his spine. She could be in danger; so many predators lurked in the forest at night, and she was unarmed. He guided the horse onto smaller and smaller trails, until they were picking their way through the underbrush without a path in sight. They’d reached the river, and he reluctantly dismounted to let the horse rest. The animal drank gratefully, and Benjamin tied the reins to a nearby tree. It would be better to continue on foot – the horse ought to be alright, it was a large enough animal to be safe from all but the most ravenous wolves, and if they did come hunting, he’d tied the reins loosely enough that the horse could break free if need be. He hoped it wouldn’t come to that: he’d need the animal to get Loveday home once he found her. He headed north, following the river upstream as the riverbank was easy footing. The water here was calm, barely moving at all; an egret took flight as he startled it from its nest, and other birds quickly swam away from the strange man that invaded their shores. His eyes scanned the trees, searching for the gleam of her satin dress. He imagined how he would hold her, tell her he loved her and forgave her. They would still marry, so long as she renounced her ties to the De Noir family.

So lost was he in his thoughts that he almost missed the white shape at the base of a rock on the far shore. His breath caught in his throat and he ran, diving into the water and wading across with no attempt at grace. He reached her side and pulled her from the river, collapsing on the shore. She was dead white, her lips bloodless and her skin nearly translucent. Her hair had come undone and he pushed the tendrils away from her face. Her eyes were closed, but her expression was one of deep, heart wrenching sadness. He felt no breath, no rise and fall of her chest. Leaning forward, he pressed his lips to hers and exhaled, willing her lungs to begin working once more. His fingers scrabbled against the lacing of her dress, pulling the fabric off of her. Yanking a short knife from his boot, he cut through the ties of her corset, then tried once more to get her to breathe. There was no response. A wave of terror washed over him as he laid his head against her breast. No sound issued from it – her heart was silent and still. He clutched her to him in horror, stroking her hair and calling out her name as though she’d revive if only she heard his voice. Over and over he cried out for her, until his voice grew hoarse and faded away. He felt tears running down his face, but made no attempt to stop them. She was gone, the woman whom only hours ago he had danced and laughed with in the warm, brightly lit music room of the manor. It was his fault. His callous disregard for her had led them to this point; his unfair disdain had made her seek any way out, even a way as horrible as this. With nowhere to turn, oppressed on every side by the people she loved, she had lost all reason and had taken her own life. Her sweet, innocent nature simply could not bear the weight of centuries of hatred. But he knew, even as he held her lifeless body to his breast, that he could not allow such a tragedy to occur again. She had begged him to forgive her, to help bring the warring families together once more, and he had refused. Now, too late, he saw the real consequences of his actions, and those of her family. It had to stop. Her death would be the last, and he would give up his pride for her and try to make her final wish come true. Standing, he lifted her up, sliding the heavy, water-soaked dress into the river. Holding her in his arms, he began the long slow walk back to his horse. It wouldn’t be long before dawn broke, and when it did he would take her body back to her family. Nothing could stop him from making his peace with the De Noir clan, for he had nothing left in this world to live for. He only hoped that when he met Loveday again in the afterlife she would forgive him and love him once more, and that he would be worthy of that love. As he mounted his horse the first rays of sunlight shone over the hills, and the trill of a robin echoed across the water. A new day had begun in Moonacre valley.


End file.
